We've marched, we've petitioned. Now what?

My friend Monique has a rare serenity. She’s a child psychotherapist and has four boisterous young children, but I’ve never seen her lose her temper with them, or anyone else.

Then, earlier this year she posted a surprising Facebook message: “Dear friends, family, and friends of friends and family,” she wrote. “I’m a feminist. That’s not something I’ve always felt confident saying. Largely because I felt ill-informed, unworthy of the title. Enter Donald Trump. It turns out, I just wasn’t angry enough. That’s what was missing, and anger can be so damn motivating. It’s what has helped me define what feminism means to me.”

Monique isn’t alone. Anger is galvanising women and their male allies into activism. Many of you reading this will recognise in Monique’s post an echo of your own realisation – a moment in the past year when you thought, ‘I have to do something.’

Advertisement

So the question now is not whether to act, but what to do

You were right. Ignore those who say individuals can't make a difference, or that what goes on in other countries isn’t our business. In our connected world, what happens in Washington or Westminster affects all of us. We are impacted by a US president whose misogyny and racism emboldens misogynists and racists, and whose first acts in office targeted organisations that support women’s reproductive rights not just in America, but overseas. European dreams of universal live-and-let-live tolerance are dissipating. Populist hatemongers and religious extremists found in their supposed polarities a common cause to attack women and minority groups. We cannot stand by and watch the rights and protections we enjoy be rolled back. So the question now is not whether to act, but what to do.

Holly Willoughby hits out at claims that Celebrity Juice is sexist

Monique’s motivating anger and Trump’s boasts that his celebrity status meant he could “grab [women] by the pussy” inspired her to mass-produce a T-shirt, despite having no business experience. It featured a large down-arrow and the words ‘NOT UP FOR GRABS’, the O and T forming the universal symbol for women. Orders from the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand quickly clogged her Facebook timeline. As Trump settled into the White House, 175 women wearing Monique’s design took to the streets for one of the 600-plus Women’s Marches drawing in millions of participants across the globe, including Antarctica. Monique and her family marched in London alongside thousands of members of the Women’s Equality Party, the movement I co-founded with Sandi Toksvig in 2015.

Advertisement

Cynics saw the Women’s Marches as nothing more than a show of emotion. Yet the marches gave heart to millions – they mattered, as did subsequent protests. So yes, march, organise marches, sign or launch petitions and use social media; but this alone won’t create a world in which everyone has an equal chance to thrive.

There are currently more male MPs than there have ever been female MPs elected

Next year, the UK will celebrate the centenary of women winning the vote, yet millions of us do not exercise that right, put off by male-dominated politics. There are more male MPs in the current Westminster parliament than there have ever been female MPs elected. Our second female prime minister, at least, sends a signal to young girls that Westminster’s top job might be open to them one day, but Theresa May seems as unlikely as Margaret Thatcher to be remembered for her dedication to gender equality. This is a missed opportunity because, as one study estimates, narrowing the gender gap could boost global gross domestic product (a figure that provides a snapshot of the state of the economy) by £8.6 trillion by 2025.

I originally proposed the Women’s Equality Party during a debate at Women Of The World festival in London. Every year, people attend fired up for change, but when they look at the depressing reality of the old political parties, their energy often drains away. Opening up politics to women will make for better laws, but that’s just part of the answer. Interlocking mechanisms keep women down, and that’s why the party enshrines seven core objectives: not just equal representation but also equal pay, education that resists gender stereotyping, healthcare attuned to women, a media that acknowledges female diversity, an end to endemic sexual violence, and shared caregiving and parenting.

It was in Iceland last April that I discovered a potential way to speed the journey. For one day in 1975, 90% of Iceland’s female population left paid jobs and unpaid responsibilities. This wasn’t a strike, but a celebration of women’s contribution to society, much of which had gone unnoticed. It taught Icelandic men to value women; that the battle for equality was their battle, too. The Women’s Equality Party is working on a UK Day Off next year. Any woman who wishes to participate should be able to, but many have caring duties or are in jobs where they are paid only for hours worked. The NHS could not function without its female staff. So the Day Off requires careful planning, and the backing of employers, unions, institutions and individuals.

Advertisement

I take issue with anyone who insists we are helpless

This is a massive undertaking and we can use your help to make it happen. You don’t have to be a member to get involved. The initiative is non-partisan and will involve many organisations. I urge you to join us. In the early days of the Women’s Equality Party, people wondered if what we were attempting was necessary. Now they encourage us to do more, faster. In the four days after Trump took office, we gained more than 1,000 new members. We have to keep growing, not only to maximise our effect on politics but to improve other parties. They responded to the rise of Ukip by contorting themselves into Ukip-like positions; our success is urging them to do better for women.

You can also make a difference by volunteering your time, funds, skills or ideas. Monique is still making her T-shirts. I tell her story as a counterpoint to the gloom, fear and sense of helplessness enveloping so many of us. I can’t pretend that there isn’t great cause for gloom, though I take issue with anyone who insists we are helpless. In that original Facebook post, Monique said, “Those who know me might be thinking, ‘Er, Monique, is everything OK? You seem worked up. You’re normally pretty laid-back.’” I say, she is still serene, but hers is the serenity of a woman who is taking action – and that’s exactly what we should all be channelling right now.

Catherine is the co-founder of the Women’s Equality Party. Her book Attack Of The 50ft Women: How Gender Equality Can Save The World! is out now

This article was first published in the May 2017 issue of Glamour magazine